Field heat should be removed from fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers as quickly as possible after harvest. Each commodity should be maintained at its lowest safe temperature. Cooling and storage requirements for specific commodities are presented below, in NC Cooperative Extension Service Publication AG-414-1, and USDA Agricultural Handbook No. 66.
Proper postharvest cooling can:

At times, it is necessary to transport or store different commodities together. In such mixed loads it is very important to combine only those commodities that are compatible with respect to their requirements for:

Vegetable seeds can be saved to sow new crops in the future, but not all seeds are suitable for saving. Varieties suitable for seed saving include local varieties that have been grown in one region for a very long time, self-pollinating crops (for example, beans and peas), and open-pollinated varieties of some cross-pollinating crops (for example, pepper, cucumber and carrot).

This field guide contains information on the major insect and mites damaging eggplant. The biology of each species is discussed. Detailed photographs showing damage symptoms allow for rapid identification of pest and disease problems. For each pest, IPM strategies for the topics are outlined.